Switch-throwing device.



B. BLOXTON.

SWITCH THROWING DEVICE.

APPLICATION man JULY 10. 1913.

1 168,472, Pfitented Jan. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS SHEET 1.

wmmw THE COLUMBIA PMNOORAPH 319-. WASHINGTON, D, C. X

B. BLOXTON.

SWITCH THROW| NG DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1913.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHE 2.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 120., WASHXNGTON, D. C.

B. BLOXTON.

SWITCH THROWING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY I0, I9I3.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEEI a.

THE-COLUMBIA PLANDORAPH C0 WASHINGTON, D. c.

*iin'rirnn sar s "l FFlQi SWITOH-THROWING nnvron.

it-sears. I

Application filed July 10, 1913.

To all w/zom may concern: u

Be it known that I, BENJA IN BLOXTON, a citizen of the United States, residng at Richmond, in the county of Henricoand State of Virginia, have invented certainnew and useful lmprovements in Switch-Throwing Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form apart of this specification.

This inventon relates to switch throwing devices and is particularly adaptedto be used in connection withelectrically operated and cable operated street cars, suburban cars and the like, andthe inieniion has for its object to provide means'whereby the motorman or operator oi the car can open, close or otherwise actuate a switch in the track while the car is in motion so that the car can be switched from the main track when desired.

The invention has for its object to provide means whereby a closed switch can be opened at the willof the operator or motorman in such manner that the services of a switchman are entirely dispensed with and obviated.

The inventionbroadly comprises a pair of rocking levers arranged adjacent. the one rail of the track and on each side of said rail, which levers are connected by means of reach rods to. mechanism connected to the switch rail of the track, which pair of rocking' levers are arranged in line with a pair of pivoted pendant elements arranged under the platform of the car, said pivoted pendant elements being so arranged as to be dropped. into position for engagement with the said rocking levers at the will and option of the motorman or operator-of the car, the device being arranged in such manner that upon movement in the direction of the car of one of said rocking members the switch rail will be opened, while upon mov'ement of the other of said rocking members the switch rail will be closed.

A further and an additional object of the invention is to so pivot and suspend the said pivoted pendant members that they are resiliently held soas to be capable of an upward movement and a horizontal swinging Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916. Serial N 0. 778,272.

movement in order to accommodate them- I selves to shocks occasioned by the contact between the pivoted pendant members and the rocking levers, and to also prevent disruption and breakage of the mechanism should the said pivoted pendant members come in contact with an obstruction or obstacle on the rail.

A further object of theinvention isto provide simple and etlicient means for actuating and operat ng the pivoted pendant members and for retainingthe same in an inoperative position and for quickly releasing thesame into operative position for engagement with the switch throwing rocking members.

Withthese objectsin viewthe invention consists in the novel construction and ar rangement of hanging supporting pivoted pendant members under the platform of the car.

The invention further-consists in the construction for resiliently mounting the pivoted pendant members and also in the construction for retaining and releasing the same.

The invention further consists in the construction for manually raising the pivoted pendant members out'oi operative position and for releasing the same to cause the pivoted pendant members to drop into an operative position for actuating the switch throwing rocking levers.

The invention further consists in certain other novel details of construction and in combinations of parts, all of which will be rst fully described and afterward specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

. Referring to the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is anelevation illustrating a fragmentary view of a car and showing the switch operating mechanism arranged there on. Fig. .2 is a plan view of a switch portion of a track and illustrating the switch throwing rocking levers and co-action mechanism. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the switch actuating mechanism under the platform of the car, the platform of the car being shown in dotted lines. Fig. 4 is a-front elevation of the switch operating mechanism on the car, and Fig. 5 isan enlarged transverse sectional view through the housing and suspending mechanism of the pivoted pendant members.

Like numerals of reference indicate the platform each side of the car in the one as shown in Figs. 3'and 4t.

1 indicates a housing which is comprised of the vertical side pieces 5, said vertical side pieces 5 being formed preferably of channel iron so as to provide a housing or guide for the purpose which will be hereinafter fully described.

- maintained 1n ad ustable position by means 6 indicates the pivoted pendant members which are suspended on a rod 7 (Fig. 1) the end of which extends through an elongated vertical slot 8 in the said pieces 5 as shown in Fig. 1.

Arranged between the side pieces 5 of the housing 1 and within the channels thereof is a horizontal channel iron piece 9 arranged directly above the pivoted pendant members 6, while a similar horizontal channel iron piece 10 inverted is arranged within the said housing at a point above the first mentioned channel iron piece 9, said horizontal channel iron piece 10 being rigidly of the adjusting bolts 11 threaded at 12 which pass through the said horizontal channel iron piece 10 and which are connected thereto by means of jam nuts 13, this construction as will be clearly apparent from Fig. 5 providing for an adjustment of the horizontal channel iron piece 10 in vertical position. Disposed between the two horizontal channel iron pieces 9 and 10 are preferably two coil springs 14: which are normally of suflicient tension to hold the lower channel iron piece 9 in position shown in Fig. 5, and as will beunderstood from an inspection of Fig. 5 the tension of said springs 1 1 can be increased or diminished .by adjustment of the horizontal channel iron piece 10 in the manner as heretofore described. By means of this construction the resiliency of the pivoted pendant members 6 can be increased or diminished as occasion requires.

Referring now to Fig. 1 it will be seen that a resilient or spring member 15 having its upper end fastened under the car is arranged in themanner as shown in Fig. 1, the lower curved free end 16 being adjacent the rear face of the pivoted pendant member 6, there being one of these spring resilient members 15 for each pivoted pendant memher 6 as will be clearly apparent from an inspection of Fig. 3 to serve as a brace for said member 6.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 3 it will be seen that each of the pivoted 17, which cables 17 are connected by reason of the connections 18 to cables 19 which in turn are connected to a sprocket chain 20 passing around a sprocket 21 mounted on a vertical shaft 22 having a crank 23 at the upper end thereof for manual operation by the motorman or operator, the cables just described passing over drums or pulleys 24: and 25 as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

Suspended by means of suitable brackets 26 under the platform of the car are the tripping levers 27, said tripping levers being pivoted at 28 and provided with a weight or counterpoise 29 which normally holds the tripping lever in position shown in Fig. 1, the lowerarm 29 of the tripping lever being provided with a horizontal extension 30 to engage and retain the pivoted pendant members 6 in the manner as clearly shown in Fig. 1. At a point above the pivotal point 28 of the tripping levers 27 and in rear thereof is an extension 31 upon which the pedal pin 32 rests, said pedal pin 32 extending through the car platform and beingprovided with a head 33 in convenient posititn to be actuated by the foot of the motorman or operator. A tripping lever 27 is provided for each one of the pivoted pendant members 6 as will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 4 so that any one of the four tripping levers can be actuated at the option of the operator or conductor.

In order to maintain the cables 17 in their proper position a coil spring 32 is provided in engagement with each of the connections 18 and the platform 2 as will appear from Fig. 1, and by this arrangement sufficient slack will be always maintained in the cables 17 as will appear from Fig. 1 to allow the pivoted pendant members 6 to drop into horizontal position When the tripping levers 27 are actuated by the motorman or operator.

In order to raise the pivoted pendant members out of operative position the manu ally operated crank 23 is turned first in one direction to draw up the said pivoted pendant members on one side of the car platform and then in the opposite direction to draw up the pivoted pendant members on the other side of the car platform. When the pivoted pendant members are thus raised up out of operative position the coil springs 32 draw the cables 17 so as to maintain a sufficient slack in said cables to permit dropping of the pivoted pendant members 6.

having thus fully described the construction as relates to the crank mechanism ref erence is made to Fig. 2 in which the track mechanism is illustrated.

In Fig. 2, 34 indicates the switch-rail and 36 refers to the main rails of the track, 38 illustrating the intersecting tracks as is perfectly apparent from an inspection of this figure. Connected to the switch-rail 34 is I I I I claim as new and desire to secure by Let-' a transverse pin or connection 85 to which transverse connection bell-cranks 36 are connected one oneach side of the rail, the bell cranks are being suitably pivoted at 37. Connected to each of the bell cranks 36 is a yoke 38 for threaded connection with the two reach rods 39, which reach rods 39 pass along the rail and are connected to a threaded nut or element 40 mounted on the switch throwing rocking levers 41, said switch throwing rocking members 41 being pivoted at 42 at apoint intermediate the ends thereof. From an inspection of Fig. 2 it will be clearly seen that movementof the switch throwing rocking levers all will actuate the switch rail 8% and will open and close the switch according as the switch throwing rocking levers M are moved;

Having thus fully described the several parts of this invention itsoperation is as follows: The pivoted pendant members 6 on the car '1 being arranged in line withthe switch throwing rocking levers 41 it is pos sible to operate either one of the switch throwing rocking levers 41 111 order to open or close the switch. When it is desired to l open or close the switch the motorman or operator depresses one of the pedal pins 32 which actuates the tripping lever 27 and releases one of the pivoted pendant members 6. Continued movement of the'car toward the switch causes the released pivoted pendant member 6 to engage its switch throwing rocking lever ll and thus move said switch throwing rocking lever in the direction of thefimevement of the ear, thus opening or 3 closing the switch as desired. As it is necobstruction without essary that a suiiicient mevementbe imparted to the switch rail the reach rods 39 are adjustable within the yokes 88 by means of the threaded elementsbetween two elements so that said reach rods may lengthen o1- shorten is perfectly apparent, while the extent of movement of the reach rods is controlled by the adjustment at the switch throwing'rocking lever 41, the threaded nut or element 40 thereon allowing a vertical adjustment so as to increase or diminish the movement of the said reach rods as is perfectly apparent from an inspection of Fi 1. Should, for any reason the switch rail become choked or clogged and fail to operate properly the pivoted pendant member 6 upon striking the switch throwing rocking levers ell will yield to the impact, both in a vertical direction and in a horizontal directicn by reason of the yielding mechanism hereinbefore described, while this construetion also provides for the passage of the pivoted pendant members over any obstacle or damage or njury to the mechanism.

Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor five gents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

elevated,

Having thus described the invention, what and a counterswitch, of a tripping element therefor hung from the car-platform, acounterbalanced dog adjacent and aclapted to support said tripping element elevated out of operative position, and means for tripping said dog.

3. In railway appliances of the type described, the combination with a railway switch, of a pivoted tripping element there for hung from the car-platform, a counter balanced dog for supporting said tripping element in inoperative position and having an ofiset portion beyond its pivot, and a plunger for engaging said oiiset part. y a

i. In railway appliances of the type described, the combination with a, railway switch, of a pivoted tripping element hung from the car-platform, a counterbalanced dog for supporting said tripping element from said tripping element, and a flexible connection for said tripping element and *an actuating shaft for said flexible connection. a I

In railway appliances of the type de scribed, the combination with a railway means for disengaging said dog switch, of a tripping element hung from the car-platform, a counterbalanced dcg for supporting said tripping element in inoperative position, means for disengaging said dog from said tripping element, an actuating shaft upon the car-platform, a flexible connection between said tripping element and said actuating shaft, and a resilient connec tion between said flexible connection and the car-platform.

6. In railway appliances of the type de scribed, the combination with a railway switch, of an upwardly yielding tripping element hung fromv the car-platform, a resiliently pressed and adjustable member for varying the yielding action of said tripping element, and a supplemental resilient element with its lower free end adjacent said tripping element.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses,

BENJAMIN BLOXTON,

Witnesses I I RYLAYND H. SoiioMn ne, l R- S, G LMAN,

Washington, D. G. v 

